Gas pipe fault led to girl's death

An explosion that destroyed a house and killed a nine-year-old girl as she walked to school was caused by gas escaping from a cracked pipe, police said yesterday .

Stephanie Hammacott died after she was buried under rubble when the blast ripped apart a house in Plymouth, Devon, on January 8.

She was walking to school with her mother Carol, 38, shortly before 8am when the property blew up.

Ms Hammacott, the elderly couple who lived at the house and a passerby escaped with minor injuries.

The police and the Health and Safety Executive said gas escaped from the cracked pipe and seeped through air pockets in the ground and into the house.

A Devon and Cornwall police spokesman said: "Although inquiries are still ongoing, we can say that the explosion was caused by the fracture of a low-pressure gas main. Investigations are continuing to try to explain why this main should have fractured in the first place."

He added: "It is hoped that the full report will be completed shortly."

Police said the report would be presented to the Crown Prosecution Service to determine whether there were any criminal offences resulting from the circumstances leading up to the explosion.

The spokesman said: "We are also examining the role and responsibilities of the different agencies to ensure that relevant procedures have been adhered to and that negligence is not a factor in the fracture."